Wake-Up Call: As the Secrets Get Out

Secrets don’t stay secrets for long in the NFL. Ownership of schemes, philosophies and practices is fleeting.

As hard as you might try to keep the family together and its recipe in-house, it’s impossible. Howie Roseman says that the roster turnover rate across the league is approximately 20 percent each year. (A study from ESPN.com in 2010 seems to back this up.) That’s about 11 players on average that will leave the nest, free to dish any and all inside info to their new employer.

Assistant coaches will move on as well, and apply what they learned at their previous stop to their new venture. We were reminded of this recently when a member of the Dolphins’ offense — now run by former Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor — said Miami’s attack is “reminiscent of Chip Kelly’s offense in Philadelphia, with the tempo and style.”

This was to be expected.

It is yet to be determined how much success Kelly will have in his NFL coaching career, but there is no denying that his approach to running a football program caught the attention of the league at large, and really opened the eyes of those who got a look at the machine up close. Whether we're talking about offensive concepts, sports science or organizational structure, there will be parts of Kelly's design that will be adopted and implemented by other teams around the league. The more he wins, the more this will be true. There is no getting around it.

This is not a problem, exactly. If you're being imitated it means your model is working. And the plan is to be on to a new plan by the time the old plan is digested by the competition.

“This is one of the reasons that I think our culture is really the one thing that is so important because yeah, you’re right, we do have a lot of new things that teams are going to start stealing,” said Jason Kelce during the season. “But the thing that’s going to continue to put us in the front is our culture is built around that we’re always going to be changing. Stuff that we’re doing now is not stuff that we’re going to be doing in two years. We’re going to be evolving into whatever is new then. If those other teams are just taking what we’re doing right now, they’re not going to continue to evolve.”

This is something that Jeffrey Lurie alluded to on the day that Kelly was hired as head coach of the Eagles. He described Kelly as "forward thinking not just about what he is running at Oregon but where the league is headed and where college is headed, how there are going to be carrot trends and how there would be trends off of these carrot trends. Just somebody who is on the cutting edge of football today, but saw that there are going to be reactions to that and what to do going way past that."

Veterans raved about how fresh they felt in the latter stages of the season. Injuries were down. The offense, despite using three different quarterbacks in 2013, finished second in yards per game and fourth in points per game. A 4-12 team was transformed into a division winner in a year when the roster and schemes were being overhauled. Teams will want to know why, and how.

The hope is by the time they figure out the answers, Kelly will be presenting the next riddle.

Jordan has been connected to Graham in trade talks that reportedly went nowhere between the Eagles and Dolphins. Whether it's true or not, there is persistent speculation in league circles that Jordan is available for the right price because new general manager Dennis Hickey doesn't value him nearly as high as former boss Jeff Ireland did. It doesn't help that Jordan remains without an obvious position in the Dolphins' 4-3 defense.

Unlike their past two drafts, which delivered several immediate starters, the Eagles probably won’t have any of their 2014 selections start right away. Don’t be surprised if no one emerges as a starter until 2015. The roster is deeper and stronger now than it had been the past two seasons, so it’s not necessarily a negative that none of their picks are projected to start by the season opener.

The guy most likely to make the quickest impact is second-round wideout Jordan Matthews. Chip Kelly wants Matthews to start off in the slot and use his 6-foot-3 frame against smaller nickelbacks. If the Eagles come out in “11 personnel” (three wide receivers, one tight end) on their first possession, Matthews will likely man the slot and, technically, he’d be among the starting 11. But look for Kelly to lean a little heavier on “12 personnel” (two receivers, two tight ends) early on for experience reasons. In that case, the outside receivers would be Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, with Zach Ertz and Brent Celek manning the tight end spots.

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Will

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery…

Sum

At this point I think we can put the Dion Jordan thing to rest. For better or worse, Marcus Smith is our guy…. And I’m OK with that. Jordan had little success in Miami, is older than Fletcher Cox and I think can be targeted again in a year if Miami keeps him and fails miserably with him at the Will which I think is where they’re trying him.

John E. Zang

Exactly. They are the ones at a disadvantage so if we want him, in time we can get him for next to nothing. That is if he doesn’t have much success which I don’t see him having much more than Graham has to this point. If I were them I’d take Graham and a late round draft pick, especially when you’re setting the kid up to fail with the scheme they have.

Richard Colton

No reason we couldn’t play both. With Smith’s versatility, I could easily see him lining up at LOLB, or even inside.

cliff henny

went for 14 yrs of having trotter and scraps, now people are worried about too many?

I have the antidote – OTAs today brother. Can’t wait to hear how good Smith looks in shorts.

Typed that last line without realizing what I just said. Refuse to edit. I don’t care.

NickS1

Way to own it.

cliff henny

nope, that’s fine. shorts arent big deal, it’s not like you said you hope he wears a cutoff shirt so you can see his abs and shoulders, no socks so you can check out his calves….that might be a bit much

paul from nc

Sam might also be looking forward to that if he was here

NickS1

Fountain sprite is the cure you require.

Andy124

I loved the Gardner draft pick.

borntosuffer

It would be pretty sweet if Chip could end up with his 3rd AND 4th choices from the 2013 draft. Why wouldn’t we want Chip to get the tools he wants and let the master do his work?

myeaglescantwin

Dion and Smith are different types of OLB’s. Jordan is more finesse / coverage / reads. Smith is more of a ears pinned rusher with some coverage ability and solid hands to set the edge.
I still think we need a OLB / Safety that can handle a 6’6 TE. Jordan would be that guy.

lets hope he looks foolish in dolphins camp & they decide to move him for someone that is comfortable in a 3-4.

Richard Colton

They think Smith can be that guy too. If what they think of Smith and Jordan are true, I’m not sure what Connor Barwin gives you that either of them can’t in terms of ability to drop into coverage.

Believe me – I’d be a lot more confident in our LB situation overall if DJ were somehow added to the mix. I just think its an extreme longshot.

myeaglescantwin

i’m definitely over all the wishing. I got smashed last week for my hopeful hypotheticals ahahh.

moving forward, (2015) I’d like to see us draft / sign another great OLB and have the option of moving Barwin inside to play next to Kendricks.

dnabrice

Birds draft for who the player can be 2-3 years down the road. What if those 2-3 years are with another team???

paul from nc

Remember that 6/1 is the date that the cap hit gets cut in half for the Fins. Who knows what deal they had, if any, with the Eagles. I’ll wait another week until I give up hope on this one.

cliff henny

com’on TMZ-Philly press, grind the Jordan rumors into the ground, make him toxic down there in S FLA. let the rumor mill benefit us for once. Get DJ’s value so low that Graham (not sure why Miami would want his 3.4m sal ontop of dead money hit) and any other backup, plus nexy yr’s 2nd, might fly. the Eagles’ will be linebacker shopping anyways for Ryans’ replacement in draft, but who knows how they feel about knott. My hope is Barwin could slide in, have Dion, MK and Smith as 3 other starters. this wont be popular, but the best tradable asset Eagles have is Boykin, add him into trade mix, but that 2nd becomes much less, like a 4th.

Mr. Wu

trade our probably best defensive player Boykin + other players and a draft pick for a pass rusher that hasn’t done dookie yet? Jordan has promise no doubt… but not for #22… and Graham isn’t sealing that deal. No thanks. In retrospect first rounder + Graham sounds pretty nice now doesn’t it?

Will

If this trade was gonna happen it would of… no on trading Boykin…

cliff henny

not pushing Boykin, but cant see how or why anyone would think Graham entices trade. least if BB goes for Jordan, hopefully equals more qb pressure and all corners are better when someone’s in their face. get if people just want to pass on trade, but 2nd and Graham cant be enough for miami
.
and no, if Jordan’s getting traded, it’s after June1st so Miami can chop up dead money into 2 yrs.

borntosuffer

Yea, I don’t see how Graham is the key to any significant trade either. But, Boykin is a proven play maker in the system. The Eagle’s don’t have that many and I’d hate to see him go.

cliff henny

have to give up something to get something, right? Dion isnt Jax situation. have 3 or4 yrs on rookie salary, and Miami already paid huge signing bonus, getting guy on cheap.
.
on BB, i cant think of another trading chip they have. we’d all miss Boykin, but picked up both Carroll and Jenkins who can cover slot, and Wadkins can jump in there.

borntosuffer

I think you are correct about what it would take. I also think that is may be why it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe a draft pick and Graham? Got a new guy in Miami trying to get “his” guys. Maybe a 2nd or 3rd would do it.

ronnieblowhard

Why are they valuing Jordan so much? Because they gave up so much for him? That’s not the Eagles fault, that’s on the former GM. My best guess is this guy continues to flounder in a system that’s not fit for him and they end up trading him for a 4th or 5th rounder in two years or an even player. If he doesn’t produce after this season his stock drops dramatically because he didn’t take the 2nd year leap. Probably the only asset that loses it’s value faster than cars are NFL players.

borntosuffer

Do you mean, like, getting nothing for he who shall remain nameless? I know, apples and oranges but as an Eagle’s fan I don’t let go of past pain easily and everything reminds me of it. You have a good point. Whatever they get now will probably be more than they get later – especially if they don’t use him much. Maybe they bite the bullet come June 1 and take the best offer. Cliff points out that June 1 is when they can spread the cap hit pain over two years.

JofreyRice

i guess, but Boykin makes big plays in big spots; who is Dion Jordan? A high draft pick? I mean, what has he done that’s so fantastic? You definitely don’t see a dynamic edge rusher on the Oregon video, and he didn’t have a huge impact on the ‘Fins, even though they gave him that one job, and allowed him to rush from a 2 point stance at times.

I get that he’s got a lot of potential with his flexibility. length, and versatility–three things this regime values–but Boykin’s got something more than potential: He’s got an NFL resume, and he’s not even in his prime yet.

cliff henny

i agree, just more looking at from Miami’s viewpoint. Graham and 2nd cant be enough, they have a ton invested in Jordan. so, increase pick or player. only non starter i’d have interest in is BB, can you think of another trading chip? i dont really care about graham, so if kelly really wants Jordan, upping to 1st or Boykin and 3rd or 4th-least this way keep top of draft.
.
this point, i’m passing on DJ, unless it’s 2nd and Graham.

JofreyRice

yeah, i can see what you’re saying from Miami’s viewpoint, but that’s a deal I wouldn’t do from the Eagles side.

paul from nc

DJ and Graham are both 1st round picks that are round pegs in square holes. Both teams could benefit from this trade, but agree that we need to give up something decent along with Graham. But Kelly knows him, and if he wants him, get him.

kleptolia

In the right scheme, Jordan is a terror. At Oregon, the DC played a unique scheme. It required Dion to hold and react more often than just flat rush. It wasn’t “ball is snapped, go get quarterback” it was “if ball is snapped and running back….then you go to… if ball is snapped and receiver… then go get quarterback.”
Dion did as he was asked, even though he probably could have had bigger stats by just going rogue.
That’s probably one of the biggest reasons that Chip speaks so highly of him.

JosephR2225

Boykin is probably gone after 2014 anyway, for what that’s worth.
But still, I think it’s just not going to happen with Dion Jordan.

Andy124

I’d put the odds of that at less than 50%. I think the team values a nickle corner like a starter and he’ll get paid as such.

I think Cox is the more likely of the two not to sign a second contract with us. 34 2-gap DE is not a big money position, and he has big money skills as a 43 DT. Not that I think he’s a goner, just that the odds are higher.

NickS1

We have Boykin thru 2015.

oreofestar

I hope he gets a shot outside and even if he proves not to be that god there at least he got a shot and can not say we did not give him one

NickS1

I hope so, too, but I’m not expecting it. This is one of the very few areas where I whole-heartedly disagree with Chip.

paul from nc

“Disagree with Chip”
On what? Boykin or Jordan?

NickS1

Boykin’s usage.

paul from nc

Thanks, I agree

paul from nc

No, people said all along, it won’t happen before 6/1 because of the cap hit. Nobody predicted anything prior to that date. There was/is speculation that the Eagles would take whomever the Fins wanted in the 1st round and the deal would go down in June.
Is it foolish to think, Smith, Graham and ??? for DJ?

Richard Colton

hahaha. right on. then the same people who are flip/flopping Smith and Matthews in their minds can pretend we traded Graham and DeSean and got Dion Jordan back in a 3 way trade.

southy

incidentally, the first auto-complete that comes up when I type his name into google is “Dion Jordan bust”

devCal

Dion Jordan bust…canton

mtn_green

Gangs, get ESP to write a six degrees of gangs article in NJ.com, dolphins will have to release him.

Andy124

I think Tim’s been reading our comments. Well done Tim.

cliff henny

yup, teams can steal all they want, long as kelly’s in Philly, they never get the secret sauce recipe. and poaching guy after1 yr, Kelly’s been at this, tweeking and twisting, living and breathing it for 25-30 yrs, like Lazor soaked it all up in 12 months.

IG:blkboyflyy

I was just thinking this exactly! Why pull a coach from a new coaching tree after only a year?

mtn_green

Radical.

Dominik

Thought the same thing, probably because we had the discussion yesterday.

Andy124

Yup. I think we, and Richard, deserve a kickback on this one.

Kevin

Copying a play is easy. Copying an idea is a little more complicated. Copying a concept is much more difficult. Copying and following through on an organizational level an entire program/vision extremely difficult, especially if you lack the leader and the buy-in required.

So, while the flattery is awesome, I have little fear that any program will be able to mimic the Eagles unless they find Chip 2.0 and the owner is not involved (which already excludes the skins and boys) and even then, it will be difficult. Just think… If the dolphins install parts of the offense but don’t understand the concept of a defense to complement it, they are not going to be able to replicate the whole product.

IG:blkboyflyy

I agree.. Also think it would be foolish and a massive waste of money if they should fail. Not only in trying to find the right players for the scheme but also trying to find the coaches, losses due to lack of conditioning/ injuries. If people were going to decide to take a coach from a new coaching tree then they should have waited a few more years.

George

if that’s the case, I think the “next chip” will be gus malzahn, but I don’t think he’ll be as good as chip

Kevin

He may be as good as Chip is now George, but by then, Chip would have upgraded himself to at least version 4.0.

George

haha, but he’s really the only coach I can see coming close to stealing chip’s thunder. Same crazy, unpridictable disposition, and an uncanny love for foorball

kleptolia

True. I rather like Malzahn, even though Auburn beat Oregon in the NC game a few years ago. He’s sort of a fuzzy reflection of Chip.

mtn_green

Rofl

Engwrite

What are carrot trends?

Andy124

Baby carrots were trending for a while, but organic carrots is the trend that is really taking over right now.

OldDocRoss

Carrot trends should not be confused with current trends, which in turn should not be confused with currant trends which are all about raisin’ the bar.

Naturally all trends are set by Connor Barwin who has been trend setting since before trend setting was trendy.

Andy124

Currently consuming a currant tea concoction, casserole with carrots and cauliflower come later.

Connor told me that alliteration was in. But now that I’ve done it, it’s not really cool anymore.

DoctorRick

Lettuce not be radish in our conclusions.

OldDocRoss

I feel like I’ve missed a perfectly good opportunity to shoehorn in the “what’s orange and sounds like a parrot?” joke.

I am ::sadface::

Andy124

Carrot Trend: An orange trend that sounds like a parrot.

Formidable

The tendency of teams to chase the then prevailing successful pattern or new carrot. Right now building your team like the Seahawks (big corners, swarming defensive ends, athletic LBs) is the carrot trend. Prior to this, the trend was having 2 TEs who were essentially bigger WR who created mismatches underneath (Patriots). Before that there was Wildcat offense when your QB situation was weak or you needed a gimmick to fool the defense (Dolphins), and before that the dual/triple RB threat (Thunder/Lightning, 3 Headed Monster etc, etc.). Its following whatever seems to be the flavor of that month.

Richard Colton

up voting your earnest zeal – even though you missed Eng’s snarkiness.

Remember our “Thunder and lightning” – was it Ricky Watters and Duce or was Charlie Garner in there somewhere? I swear the NY media stole that from us. Or did we steal it from someone else?

Formidable

It was Watters and Garner. I was thrilled to see NYs version (Barber and Dayne) crash and burn. I’m sure there has been and will continue to be thousands of Thunder/Lightning iterations like the Architect said in the Matrix.

Richard Colton

thats right! and then it became the “3 headed monster” with Duce. All goes back to “Mr. Inside & Mr. Outside” I guess.

Very few 3 down backs anymore. I call BS on any more teams calling their duo “Thunder & Lightning.” Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis and Gio Bernard?!? Come on.

Formidable

Taking liberties with the old QB adage, if you utilize 3 RBs you probably don’t have a true #1 RB (see Cardinals last year with Mendenhall, Williams, Ellington). Now that was a three headed monster!!

Lendale white and reggie bush were my favorite thunder and lightning. USC was so good then

Engwrite

Actually, I didn’t mean to be snarky. I understood what Lurie meant but had never heard the ‘carrot trend’ figure of speech before. I doubt it will catch on.

JofreyRice

Further example of the depersonalization & corporatization of speech. I’m sure it’s popular in the circles he operates in.

Maggie

Personally prefer carrot cake trends. ;~)

myeaglescantwin

The ideas of this offense are easy to grasp. Play smart, play fast and exploit matchups.
Teams have been trying to do this for years. It wasn’t until Chip Kelley joined into the league did we see such a swing in everything it takes to keep this machine running. KEVIN (above), notes about the mental aspects that coaches and players might miss, or not execute as well, but i think that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Chip analysed each aspect of this “fast paced” approach. He had ideas that much of the league scoffed at when training camp started. The music, the tempo, the conditioning, the nutrition and even the rest allotted were all heavily calculated aspects of this offense. Chip places a great deal of importance on each aspect of this regiment. He has proven that he is not afraid to cut ties with anyone that doesn’t buy in, or set the best example.
I doubt other teams can match this approach. Hell, i doubt they even know where to start.

You get someone like the dolphins coming in. Yeah, they might have a no huddle set, , , but can their OL maintain that pace into the 4th quarter? do they have the stamina to last 16 games? through the playoffs?

These are questions that we Eagles still may have about our own squad, but i doubt there is anyone following this team that doesn’t believe we have what it takes to put it all together.

(i’m actually hoping they do the open spring practices again this year)

PhillySean

Agree. I’m kind of amazed that Kelly was able to get the team to give up having Tuesdays off. Might sound like a small thing, but I’ll bet that’s a pretty tough sell.

Kev_H

Spot on. Every little thing Kelly does is a key part of the system. Every minute in practice has an intentional purpose. Most outfits aren’t capable of conceiving or managing that.

Kevin

I agree with you as well. Chip has done what very few leaders of organizations are capable of, or understand. Everything you do, every action the organization takes, must fall in line with the vision and the mission. There are no exceptions or special cases. But even more than that, you have to be able to explain the mission, that vision to everyone, have a reason and logic for it, and get buy-in across the organization.
To me the impressive part is that you hear the buy-in, the intelligence and the excitement in the players. People will try to copy what they will, but the whole formula will be damn tough to replicate and a huge risk to anyone who tries but does not understand.

Warhound

A diet and exercise plan is a “regimen”; though it’s easier to follow through on if one is “regimented”.

myeaglescantwin

dynamite drop in Warhound.

Mike Oneill

you still need the best talent at each position. this is the NFL where outside linebackers can track you side to side and hit. not college. his draft indicates he is thinking more of a “system or “team” concept. after 1 year in the league, we’ll see how that goes now that the genie is out of the bottle. I don’t think they drafted the most talented players at each position. I think they let a very talented player go. I don’t think they signed the top talented free agents. we’ll see how far the system gets them this year.

myeaglescantwin

what OLB would you have taken that fits the size mold?

and i assume you liked Byrd as the top S prospect available?

Mike Oneill

They wouldn’t have had to move to take either Kyle Van Noy (top 4-6 OLB) or Deone Bucannon (top safety). Both have size, proven pedigree, and will be playing this year. KVN is a true linebacker, not a pass rusher who can drop back. What most people seem to already forget, is that the Eagles MANGLED the DeSean situation. Knowing you have serious needs on defense, you mean to tell me that you release a top receiver without at least a sign and trade or packaging him to move up? They could have moved up and taken a safety or LB who is ready now. Barring DeSean, they could have selected my two pics above. Now it appears they have a DE who can drop back (never really seen that work in the NFL yet), who needs time and will spend most of the season as a backup, 3rd down rusher.

myeaglescantwin

I agree with most things you are saying. I don’t think anyone that they drafted (without moving up) was coming in to start day 1.
i do think VanNoy would have been a solid option, but i see him more as an ILB in the NFL, which we will need. Marcus Smith did have some coverage experience in college & looked good at the senior bowl, which means so much to coaches and scouts as of late.

Bucannon was a player that i thought would end up being better than the two S options at the top of the draft. He was projected in late 2nd, and early 3rd. Arizona took him at 27. I’d be willing to be the same outcry would have been heard had we “reached” for Bucannon in rd.1

I’m just happy we drafted a LB in rd-1.
More importantly, an LB that is over 6’3, and 250lbs.
I feel his upside is higher than Van Noy, but i’m not a pro-scout.

There’s something to be said of the philosophy of “you want a guy, you go draft YOUR guy”
The SeaHawks did it with Bruce Allen & it worked out for them so far (his production is lacking).. If they take that approach in each round, i’m fine with it giving Howie’s draft success these past few years.

as for DeSean.
everyone in the league knows he is not a #1 WR except for most eagles fans. There are about 10,000,000 reasons why trading him wasn’t going to happen. No team wanted to eat that contract with the idea of “there’s a reason he’s being shopped” in their heads.
I do think they flopped on handling the situation. They could have eaten some of that cap # and used him as ammo for draft trades. But the salary figure was what really held them back. & that’s on the Howie+Reid braintrust.

Mike Oneill

WAIT. WHAT. Can you please explain how everyone in the NFL knows Jackson isn’t a “#1 receiver?” Andy Reid was wrong? His stats are fake? The Redskins are wrong? Please explain this statement? Personally, I always thought he was undersized but if you look at how FEW games he missed and his total yards, I can’t see how you’d say he is not one of the top receivers in the game.

myeaglescantwin

no his stats are real.
only 1 good season that you would expect from a #1 WR making a guaranteed $10,000,000 a year.
Avg. 5 td’s a year
avg. 60 receptions a year
is that #1 WR?

He’s only had two plays i consider “all heart” the forced fumble against arizona and the medownlands PR/ TD.

I don’t really need to make any points.
If the NFL thought he was a true #1 WR, dozens of teams would have jumped at the opportunity to trade for DeSean as soon as word broke we were shopping him. The salary wouldn’t have been an issue.

No one called. Not Andy Reid, not even the Raiders or Skins.

You think anyone would blink at trading for Fitz or Megatron at $10mil a year price tag?
DeSeason was a one trick pony that felt he was bigger than the team.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that his most productive year came with Chip Kelley.
+ he’s one solid tackle away from crumbling.

I will never say he isn’t an explosive player, or one of the top weapons in the game. DeSean Jackson is one of the most electrifying players in the league. & i appreciate his time in philly.

Mike Oneill

Fair enough. 1) Megatron is a once in a generation player. 2) I could argue that Jackson caught 9 TDs and then suffered during the years McNabb/Kolb/Vick era. Then rebounded with Foles, not necessarily the system, but the quarterback. We’ll see how he does. Even Megatron has had off-years with low TD rates. And I’m not an NFL insider, but the fact the Eagles didn’t trade DeSean shows me that they overplayed their secret PR war against him. When they realized that they failed to market him correctly for a trade or re-sign him, they had screwed themselves. I’m sorry, letting a receiver with over 1300 yards the previous season WALK for NOTHING just reeks of a mistake. And yes, but almost every player in the NFL is one hit away from a severe injury. It’s the nature of the beast whether it’s a concussion or being bent over to tear an ACL. BTW, Jackson has missed 9 games in his career. 6 seasons.

myeaglescantwin

yeah you are right.

but i think it’s more that they mishandled the previous contract. If he had a more manageable number, i’m sure teams would have jumped at that.
Even still, they could have eaten some of this year’s cap money in order to ship him out, or at least use him in another trade to move up.
dumb all around. in my opinion.

& i hear you on the games played by Djax.
What i would say to that is, that during those years he was worried about his deal, he never put himself at risk. He either short armed crossing routes, or simply accepted being covered.
to me, that’s more on the coach not using his weapon wisely.

myeaglescantwin

so, in an example about undersized #1’s.

would you rather have DeSean or Antonio Brown?

I’d say Antonio.
just because of his catch production.

Mark F

Sports science? How about common sense? You feed your players tacos and burgers, those things will literally KILL YOUR BODY. No wonder we always had injuries out the whazoo when Reid was here. Then Kelly comes along, boom, get rid of all that red meat and here’s some fruit and vegetables. Then everyone’s like “Wow! Look how the injuries plummeted! It’s advanced science voodoo! We don’t want to admit that not eating red meat and instead feeding your body fruits and vegetables is vastly better for you…”

cliff henny

red meat? that’s wishful thinking it’s meat in those taco’s

ICDogg

Who said anything about Kelly getting rid of red meat, anyway? This guy obviously has a veggie agenda. High sugar, carb-laden meals are far worse for people than meat.

Mark F

Organic fruits and vegetables are far healthier for you than red meat and you will notice a drastic increase in general health if you eat a fruits/vegetables heavy diet versus lots of meat.

ICDogg

Your personal food agenda aside, which I strongly disagree with but don’t think this is the place for discussing it, I haven’t seen anything about Kelly having players avoid red meat in general.

peteike

red meat is healthy in moderation as well, and of course fruits and veggies but lets not get crazy. The injury list was one season, slow down. That could easily change, a lot of injuries have nothing to do with diet.

Warhound

Thank You! Moderation – wow what an idea!!!

Maggie

Red meat, particularly beef, is the source of the maximum, most easily digested Vitamin B12. Absolutely necessary for increasing red blood cell production. Oxygen is carried by red blood cells. More oxygen to the muscle structure, more efficient burning of the carb fuel. B12 also increases the body’s efficiency in emptying fat cells. Some red meat is essential for an omnivore. So are slow-burn carbohydrates AND some fats. Don’t forget, your brain is made mostly of fat!

borntosuffer

“Don’t forget, your brain is made mostly of fat!” Some people’s more than others.

Andy124

I was always taught that carbs are great IF you’re using them. Great source of long, slow burning energy. Make sure to eat a big plate of spaghetti the night before a game.

cliff henny

they are, if you are using them. these guys are professional athletes, have all the time money and resources to eat right. if you are out riding a bike for 2 or 3 hrs for 3 or 4 days in a row, you need to fuel up. guys that eat like rabbits arent lifting 5 days a week either.

Sorry mate I think you’re confused. High are foods such as white bread, watermelon, jelly beans. Low are foods such as brown rice, most nuts, chickpeas. I’m sure Kelly has them having a mixture, but low is definitely the way to go for better overall health and nutrition.

Warhound

Yeah, thanks, I got that backward.
Though I’m somewhat aware of what burns slower; I just got the definition confused. Examples: oats slower than wheat and bananas slower than oranges.

botto

kelly doesnt have red meat served in the cafeteria as of last year right away

Andy124

It was said last year.

“Everything in the cafeteria has been re-made, and everyone in the organization from upper management to the staffers to the players are commenting on it,” Edwards said. “You go in the cafeteria and you see nothing but healthy food choices because Chip Kelly believes elite athletes need optimal nutrition.”

Sounds reasonable enough. But it gets much, much worse.

“Gone are things like Taco Tuesdays and Fast Food Fridays, which the players are not too happy about,” Edwards continued. “Pizza, chicken wings, fried foods — and even red meat — are off the menu. [Kelly wants] nothing but organic hormone- and antibiotic-free lean meats.”

This means Kelly wants his players to eat meat from animals that don’t spend 24 hours a day in quarters like these getting fed garbage, and not that he wants his players to go vegan, which would instantly make our team uncompetitive and is a slow suicide by starvation for the people who eat that way longterm. Google Weston Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

I’m not sure if your post in intended as a rebuttal, or just added content. I don’t think anyone here actually proposed going vegan.

Personally, I always buy the organic meat (red and other) if what I’m trying to buy is available in the organic section. I only hope that those animals are in fact, living better lives.

Neil

Just adding. On top of the fact that such factory farming is cruel to the animals, the meat produced by such a process is frankly unfit for consumption. You’re literally eating animals that were on the brink of death, loaded with pharmaceuticals, fed an inappropriate diet and surely unintentionally contaminated by industrial chemicals. This is true of 99% of the meat in any typical grocery store, and is the only valid basis on which anyone can claim that any meat is unhealthy. The angle of cruelty is fairly well known and yet does not change people’s behaviour, so I hope highlighting the work by Weston Price on the impact of this bad food ON HUMANS will actually change people’s behaviour.

“You can take my tacos and burgers when you pry them from my cold dead hands”

jabostick

Some teams/players/coaches may know a bit about what Chip does. But, on the other hand, Chip knows what they know (you know?). As long as he is always trying to improve/innovate, they’ll always be a step behind.

paul from nc

Also, I don’t think the guy learned that much from Chip in only one year. Especially since he had very few of “his type players” in the system.

Bird of Prey

Graham is a good football player, and nothing would be better for him to be traded to a team with 4/3, I wonder what Miami’s asking price for Jordan is, seems like a perfect trade for both parties.

kleptolia

Miami traded up to get Jordan, so they are probably trying to pull a Craigslist trade on the Eagles right now.
“You give us Graham, your playbook, Shawn Huls, and both of McCoy’s MCLs and we give you Jordan. Please reply by text only, we don’t have email.”

50 guy from Jersey

Bird of Prey, agreed. Graham is a good football player that is in the wrong scheme. Still not sure why the dolphins don’t just swap Jordan for him. Both are wasted talents on wrong teams. Miami is being greedy and it will bite them in the hiney. I still think something will get done. Really don’t want to see the Eagles giving up yet another pick. graham was the 13th pick in the draft and the dolphins picked Jordan with the 3rd pick.

Though the dolphins will wind up on the crappy end of the stick. It can’t be any worse than having a 3rd pick on your team in the wrong scheme. At least they would be getting 1st round talent in exchange that can play in a 4-3. Just do it

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